The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Rhododendron plant of hybrid origin, botanically known as Rhododendron hybrid ‘UMNAZ 502’ and will be referred to hereafter by its cultivar name, ‘UMNAZ 502’. ‘UMNAZ 502’is a new cultivar of deciduous Rhododendron grown for use as a landscape plant.
The new cultivar was developed through an on-going breeding program conducted by the Inventors in Excelsior, Minn. The objectives of the breeding program are to develop new cultivars of Rhododendron that exhibit cold tolerance, excellent floral displays, disease-resistant foliage, and compact, deciduous plant habits. The new cultivar was derived from a cross made by the Inventors on May 20, 1991 between Rhododendron hybrida ‘UMNAZ393’ (not patented), as the female parent, and Rhododendron hybrida ‘UMNAZ394’ (not patented), as the male parent. The Inventors selected ‘UMNAZ 502’ as a single unique plant amongst the seedlings that resulted from the above cross in June of 1995.
Asexual propagation of the new cultivar was first accomplished by softwood stem cuttings in Excelsior, Minn., USA in June 1995 by one of the Inventors. Asexual propagation by softwood stem cuttings and tissue culture has determined that the characteristics of the new cultivar are stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.